Copilot - Requesting Tasks

Question

Using the desktop app for Copilot, I needed it just to take a simple bunny outline I provided, and put it to scale on an 8.5 x 11 paper. I needed it to be 6.13" x 3".
It could not do it until I told it that even using, and keeping, mathematical scale, it was wrong.

It also could not generate any task tabs. There is not way to visually see that it is "pending" or "processing" and it took me two hours to finally find out that it won't generate those task cards unless you are in the web version (ridiculous and it should state that the first time you can't see the task tabs).

Additionally, once in the web version, a simple outline adapted to a plain 8.5 x 11 paper size - with no background colors, and being formatted for a word doc, says it will take a few seconds due to simplicity, and one of the three files took 15 minutes, the other 9 minutes and I am still waiting on the third. I am not sure if any will be correct.
At one point it just gave me a photograph of cute bunnies instead of my outline.

What can I do to help it complete tasks faster? I closed all my browser tabs as I know that slows down microsoft's browser (insane other browsers don't work like that).

Answer 1

Hi Butterfly@,

I understand how frustrating this must have been, especially when you were trying to complete a simple, time‑sensitive task and instead ran into multiple limitations and delays. At the moment, you can try the following to reduce delays:

• Break the task into smaller, more specific requests. Complex or multi‑step instructions (such as exact sizing, formatting, and export requirements in one prompt) can take longer to process or lead to inconsistent results.
• Explicitly restate critical constraints (for example, exact paper size, units in inches, or output format) in each request, as Copilot may not always retain those constraints across steps.
• Use the Copilot web version for longer or file‑generation tasks, as some features (such as task cards and long‑running jobs) are more consistently supported there than in the desktop app.
• Ensure you are signed in with a personal Microsoft account and using a supported browser (Microsoft Edge is recommended), and avoid running multiple heavy tasks in Copilot at the same time.

I’m sorry for the situation and the inconvenience this caused. To help improve performance, feature clarity, and desktop‑vs‑web consistency, please consider submitting your experience through Feedback Hub: https://aka.ms/feedbackhub. For more details: Send feedback to Microsoft with the Feedback Hub app

Thank you for your understanding.   

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